Elizabeth McGovern found the late Dame Maggie Smith's absence from the new Downton Abbey film "freed up the narrative".
The 64-year-old actress had been worried that losing her co-star - who died in September 2024 aged 89 - would be a huge loss to Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale but she felt the screen legend's presence "permeated" the entire film and her essence was a part of every scene.